Posts

Believe it or Not! Gamers need to be Healthy!

Remember all the memes with fat D.Va eating Dorito Chips and Mountain Dew? Or how about the fat neck-bearded fedora nerd? All of these are the prime images of a gamer.

The truth is that gamers come in many shapes and colors. Now the unfortunate thing is that many people are fat (at least in North America). (I’m not fat-shaming. Just stating the truth.) This is the sad reality with the kind of lifestyle we tend to follow; sedentary, unhealthy and expensive consumerism.

How did we get there in the first place?

I’ll tell you a bit of a story. I mostly stayed at home, didn’t go out, didn’t even work out… I was a lonely hermit living in my room. Not only that, I also lived on a diet of instant ramen, beer and KD. I spent at least 20 hours a week playing video games, studying, more video games… But mostly studying. It wasn’t until I went to work that summer I found that one of my favorite blue shirts didn’t fit me anymore that I realized I needed to make a change.

But Murasa, this doesn’t tell me how we got to this sad depressing state!

Ok, so if you didn’t draw any conclusions from my story, here are some key factors:

I didn’t really move my body much

My diet is bloody awful

I was actually stuck in a state where I was doing nothing

Because of the above, no progress = depression!

The fact that I was sedentary, with no movement in mind, body and spirit was what caused me to become fat. I know, I’m getting all philosophical here, but really, it’s how I got fat. That summer, I was 160 lbs! I’m only 5’2″! That actually made me overweight!

The thing here is that we all need to realize that we are not taking care of ourselves. At that point in my life, I had let myself go. What made it worse was that I didn’t do anything about it for the longest time. We all go through that mode in life (several times, actually) where we just feel stuck in a rut and it’s just utter despair.

There are a lot of consequences to being fat.

Being fat can be costly!

Did you know that being fat costs us money?

Because of my need to feel whole again, I bought a lot of things that (like my terrible diet, for example) satisfied some of my cravings. Video games also filled a hole in my social and mental state. I was stuck studying a subject that I saw no way out of and it sucked my soul away. Since I ate a lot of bad foods and got into a vegetative state between two tedious things (I think the games I got into were time-consuming… It got into a grind I didn’t want to do), I had no energy to move. The cycle repeated itself when I just did nothing to fix it.

When I started doing research to make myself become better, I soon realized that I have more reasons to become more healthy. I wanted to show my granny that I was a functioning living person, I also realized that being fat is also really bad for the health. My family is plagued with obesity and there are many health complications for being fat. If I end up toeing a medical condition just because of my gait, there was something wrong.

Also, being fat really does increase that stigma we have for being gamers. We don’t look really good and pretty depressing. Fat people are the epitome of gamers, nerds and geeks. We were the losers in the social circle, even though gaming is now becoming very mainstream.

How we can fix it

There are several ways of doing fixing our problem. We should always strive to have a happy and balanced life. Believe it or not, folks, even too much gaming can be bad for you!

So how do we get more fit?

Your diet is the biggest factor in this. 80% of your success in being fit lies within your diet. You can significantly control how much and what goes in your body and it is significantly harder to work that off. While food can be very costly, you can still be frugal about it and still eat healthily. Remember that you are the one in control!

Working out is the other 20%. It doesn’t matter what you do to work out; the point is that you must give it your all, not half-ass it, and more importantly start! Because I’m more goal oriented and I like seeing numbers go up, I take up weightlifting. Hell, you can go into running, hiking and even joining your local muggle Quidditch League!

Some people have even incorporated video games into their workouts! There are mobile applications, modifications and even gadgets that let you play games as you run! (Really, button mashing while on an elliptical is a good way of working out. 😉 ) Heck, even playing Dance Dance Revolution can work you up a sweat!

Lots of good reasons to be nice and fit!

As I have mentioned before, being fit and healthy will make you happier and can give you some purpose in life. It can also remove the stigma that you’re a depressing, anti-social, no-lifer hiding in your mom’s basement. And not only that, your mind, body and even your wallet is going to thank you for not being an overweight slob.

To take it to the next level, if you also want to compete with the best competitive players, you have to start living like one. (Note: don’t do it if you’re not ready or willing to be competitive. This can be expensive!) In a recent study from German Sports University, eSports Athletes are real athletes! They need to have a clear mind, lightning speed reflexes (comes from practice!) and a healthy heart to compete at such a high level. Yes, it’s actually more complex than mashing keys.

It’s easier to live a happy, balanced life

As I have said before, it is much easier to live a happy and balanced life. Doing too much of one thing can be very bad. Having too much pizza is bad. Sitting still to play video games all day is bad. Not doing anything about your poor state of health is bad. All of these things that can lead to being unhealthy and fat.

If you’re happy and healthy, you can make better sound decisions about yourself, which includes saving for your future. Being happy and healthy can lead to a lifestyle that you want to have full control over, even if it’s just playing video games. Gamers can come in many shapes and sizes, but it is much more about being happy and whole. That’s what we try to aspire to and inspire.

24 thoughts on “Believe it or Not! Gamers need to be Healthy!”

Yes I do agree with the fact that gamers need to be healthy, been a game freak I do know how it feels to be stucked in one level over a period of time on a particular game, setting up your mind on passing that game level and you don’t pass that level you’re not gonna stop. This has helped me loose weight in ways I can’t imagine, and I love it.

Motivating story! As a personal trainer, I can attest to the fact that the fit life is much diet-based. To look good, we must treat our bodies to good, nutritional-dense foods. Sure, there’s always that one guy who can slam whatever they want and still look good but they’re a rare breed. Most of us must pay attention to what we’re eating to get anywhere in the fitness realm. Eat well, workout regularly in an activity you enjoy, and you will succeed. Stay consistent, and you will ensure long-term success.

Thanks so much! I used to have that kind metabolism when I was younger, but I don’t have the luxury of doing that anymore, and it’s much more true as we get older. It doesn’t hit a lot of gamers now because they aren’t at that age yet, but the ones who are older can attest to that.

Getting fat is one of the things I don’t want in my life. You have already said it all about getting fat. You have reminded me that getting fat can cost me money. Getting fat is just expensive. Then thinking about playing video games, I think that can contribute to one gaining excess weight since all you have to do is to sit one place and play games

I think it’s important that whatever you do can be detrimental to your health. My story had so much sitting around and doing little movement at all. I can replace video games and studying with doing overtime with an office job. That’s just as bad as it would make me go bonkers.

I don’t think anyone wants to be fat at all; but people can get complacent.

One of the best ways I’ve found to help me be healthy while gaming is to sit on a balance ball instead of on the couch or on a normal chair. It doesn’t seem like much, but it makes a huge difference in that in engages a ton of muscles you wouldn’t otherwise use to help keep you upright.

If you can actually maintain a good quality posture while you play that helps even more. And you can always get creative with throwing in a set of crunches every time you die in Fortnite too…Since I’m terrible end up doing like 500 crunches in an hour…I suppose if I ever get better I might have to find a new way to develop core strength.

Haha, I like that idea. I was thinking of doing that during a stream once, but I found in a battle royale game I do end up staying alive for at least 30 minutes before I die. Hm, I have to be more creative than that.

I concur with you because when you’re playing games for like 12 hours per day, it’s easy to slip into negative behavior patterns. There’s no doubt for me that a healthy lifestyle lessens fatigue and helps concentration levels, enhances mood and responses, thus there is need to take care of your body, dealing with your body will make you remain a healthy gamer

Yeah I actually remembered that I was actually performing rather poorly when I was like that. I know that the pressure was on for me to do well, but that kind of unhealthy lifestyle really got into me.

The rate at which those who play video games are getting fat and adding extra weight to their body is getting extremely high. The mostly stay at home and play so much video games and eat alot and rather than burn the fat by jogging or in an exercise routine, they’ll rather stay down and face a computer from the morning to the next morning. My question is how can one be rid of the addiction of excessive video games?

Interesting question. I know a friend who actually quit video gaming so he can focus on his career. It’s actually pretty hard to remove the addiction if you’re stuck in that kind of mindset. I always advocate for a slow withdrawal, but for some people (like myself) it’s best to go cold turkey. However, keep in mind that this is up to the person who needs to be withdrawn; if they don’t ask for help, they will not cooperate.

I admit, I’m addicted to games. I just decided to make it work for me instead. I decided for a while that I wanted to make it a job that I enjoy so I will work towards it, so I never see it as a bad thing.

Most times our sedentary and feeding lifestyle determine our overall size and health status. The statement that being fat can be costly is quite true. As I think of it, it becomes clear as to why that expression is correct, However with the widespread of information on dieting and exercising, losing weight or burning calories has become easier now than ever. All that is needed is discipline.

In my case, my friend, I never had a very overweight. It is currently difficult for me to move my body with a weight of 2 Kg more than normal. You imagine the effort that should be done with 10 Kg or more. I can assure you that you would feel much better, be close to your normal weight, the benefits would be much more than all the discomforts you may have.You could reduce your sitting time and increase your time in movement, walking is a very good practice that you should consider. Today through your cell phone you could get the number of steps you take per day. Put on a goal and do not stop until you achieve it. It is very likely that you can also improve your performance with games.Regards! Claudio

Howdy Claudio. Thanks for your input. I actually had to get a lot of apps to help me start walking a lot more, but the removal of having a car was what really put me into gear! I get to walk everyday because of it!

I wasn’t that that morbidly obese but I was very dangerously close! I hated the fact that I was starting to look round and pudgy and that was making me mad. I can’t imagine being like any of the people seen on shows like My 600lb Life or whatever it’s called. That is actually pretty depressing and it’s been amplified because my aunts and cousins were all really close to that.

I really enjoyed reading your post, personally some years back I used to be as described by your post, just sitting in the house watching movies and playing game with my brother, my brother was lucky that sometimes he would go outside play football with his friends, unlike me I only stayed indoors spending most of my time in bed and on social media. I could not realize that I was gaining excess wait until one day my grandmother visited us and she could not recognise me, what a shame since then I choosed to change.

i really agree with you too much of foods is not good to our bodies, also too much rest, as this make someone gain wait to which can cause some health problems, My opinion is that maybe you could add more images on how to fight exess body weight in other words the obesity, also link your images with affiliate links that’s contain affiliate products with prices on them.

My grandma actually kept on joking that I was getting fat and that got to me. Although me not fitting into my uniform actually sparked a change even more. It was actually pretty depressing.

Excellent point on the images. I might add them next time so people can see what they’re looking into when they decide to look. However fitness is not my focus on this blog, but I do touch upon it once in a while.

I really love the practical (and humorous) information here. It’s a good reminder for myself as well. I’m not much of a video gamer, but I’m on my computer all the time. I actually enjoy going on walks or runs, but I eat too damn much! lol

This is a problem that’s not just for video gamers. I’m pretty sure most Americans are stuck. There’s just way too much (artificially) tasty food, and it overwhelms our systems.

I’m so glad you recognized what was happening to your body and decided to make a change. I noticed that you mentioned something about depression. I strongly feel that a lot of the food that we put into our bodies can affect our mental health. (perhaps by affecting our gut health, which scientists and connecting with brain health.)

I notice that when I eat less, and it’s nutritious food, and I get outside for exercise, my mental health is so much better! I hope you’re recognizing that too.

I love the suggestions of gaming while exercising. That’s something I could get into! 🙂

If you have kids, I hope you can inspire them to heed my warning! 😉 Maybe challenge them to do crunches every time they respawn as someone suggested earlier.

It’s very true. I think it’s just people getting stuck and they can’t find a way around it. It’s best to take action now and not put it off. And with the kind of stuff that we stuff down our throats, it’s actually kind of terrifying how bad it actually is.

Love this article, I can so relate.The only difference is that I don’t live in my parents basement or eat way too much, but I am playing way too much as a distraction from life and am very depressed and unhealthy.This is a great article to try to help motivate people to change how they are living to become healthier and less depressed.

Even though I am not eat too much, I am not eating exactly eating healthy foods either and I am not moving so much just sitting in one place for hours at a time. Sometimes I get so depressed when I am just playing endlessly but I don’t know what else to do and I just keep on doing it.Thank for this wonderful article.It also helps to let people know that they are not alone in this situation and can make changes to improve.

Little Mac went through this same stage. He took on massive amounts of weight during when Nintendo forgot about him for over a decade, but with the help of Captain Rainbow he finally worked it off (and then Punch-Out!! Wii was revealed less than a year later). I guess you could say it’s never too late.

P.S. I had this comment in mind before I even watched your latest Smash stream. 😛